My first car has a 12-valves 3-cylinder like the 2014 MINI One. According to the brochure, my runabout “delivers impressive fuel economy with more than adequate power for around town or longer distances”. So does the 1.2-litre One, but in the case of my first car, a 1996 Suzuki Wagon R, under the bonnet is just a 0.657-litre engine with all of 55bhp and 59.8Nm, and a transmission choice of 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic.
That’s automotive progress, until I calculate the specific power output of the two cars and realise that the turbocharged MINI motor produces just over 85bhp per litre, compared to the naturally aspirated Suzuki’s 83bhp per litre. However, it’s the torque that matters in steer-and-squirt city cars, and the One delivers with its useful output of 180Nm.
Like that old little Japanese “triple”, the new British 3-pot sounds a bit offbeat, which is more obvious above 3000rpm, and it revs cheerfully towards its 6000rpm redline. The idling seems slightly vibratory, which is part of this motor’s charm.
Not charming, though, is how much slower the One is compared to the Cooper, the next “higher” model in the MINI range, powered by a turbo 1.5-litre engine with 136bhp and 220Nm. Where the Cooper would sprint, the One would jog. Where the Cooper would accelerate immediately when prompted by the throttle pedal, the One would hesitate before speeding up with less urgency.
The trick is to drive this contemporary MINI like you would a classic Mini (lower case and all) – maintain the machine’s momentum by staying off the brakes as much as possible. On its 195/55 R16 Pirelli P1s, the One is happy to go with the flow, breezing through the bends and scampering past random roadworks. This runt is fun to punt.
The One’s 6-speed automatic happily joins in the fun and games. Its “manual” mode is responsive, which makes me think how much more engaging the actual manual 6-speeder would be while it makes the most of the 102 ponies under the bonnet. Of course, playing with those ponies using the automatic gearbox makes them “thirstier” and therefore sacrifices some of the car’s 20km-per-litre average fuel economy.
Being the entry-level MINI, the One doesn’t have the Cooper’s fancy infotainment, front centre armrest, additional chrome and full leather upholstery. But the mostly cloth, partially cowhide seats give decent support and their “diamond/satellite grey” colour combo is cool. And the One still has niceties such as a funky red start/stop ignition switch, selectable “rainbow” ambient lighting for the cabin, cruise control, two-zone auto air-conditioning and two-mode driving (Sport or Green).
Externally, the One uses halogen for its headlights and foglights, instead of the Cooper’s lovely LEDs, and there are only four body colours available (Volcanic Orange, Blazing Red, Moonwalk Grey and our test car’s Pepper White), compared to nine for the Cooper.
Whatever the colour, this hatchback is a good One from MINI.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE 1198cc, 12-valves, inline-3, turbocharged
MAX POWER 102bhp at 4250-6000rpm
MAX TORQUE 180Nm at 1400-4000rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 10.2 seconds
TOP SPEED 195km/h
CONSUMPTION 20km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 117g/km
PRICE INCL. COE
$123,300 (after $15k CEVS rebate)
